The Brother
by Nomadguardians
Summary: Addison gets a surprise visit. And the surprise is about to change Seattle Grace and everyone's favorite doctors. Addek and MarkOC. Meredith lovers beware.
1. Marco Polo

AN: This is my first fic so be nice. I just wanted say that I know that there is another fic out there that has Addison has a brother and his name is the same. I just wanted to say that there is no similarity beyond that. The character is from another story I have been writing.Thanks.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the show. The Pirate and Raptor, however, are mine. I wish I did own some of the boys though.

AN: Flashbacks are in _italics._ Enjoy. 

**Marco Polo**

Addison sat staring at the clock in her office. She had a busy morning filled with antsy mothers and lots of babies. After lunch and checking on her patients, she decided to catch up on some much needed paperwork. Well, the needed part was debatable, which was why she was sitting there staring as the minutes and seconds just ticked away.

At least this time it was idle boredom that caused her to stare and not think. Oh, how she hated thinking. It was never a good thing to do because her thoughts were plagued with Derek and Mark, or just Derek or just Mark, hell there was even some Meredith thrown in the mix. She would think about all the good times that the three of them shared together, Der, Mark and her. As the holiday season was fast approaching she found herself thinking more often……great, now she was doing it again. Why couldn't she get away from them? It's hard enough working everyday with them and trying to be friends with out running away, but now the only safe place she had has been invaded. Something needed to happen and fast. She couldn't take anymore of this.

As if on cue, her phone rings and she turns to stare at the offending noise that has broken the silence. She continues to stare at it as she debates about actually answering. As the office phone continues to ring, her cell starts to go off. What in the world is going on? How many people want to talk to me? As if to answer her question, her pager goes off as well. Finally moving out of her semi-daze, she answers the phone.

"Hello, Addison Sheppard speaking."

"Ah, so I see the rumors of you keeping your name are true."

"Jas? Baby brother, are you calling my cell and pager too?"

"No, Addie. I can honestly say that I only called your office. The other two would be weird, so of course it wouldn't be me."

"Right. Because you have never done something like that before. I'm sure. But anyway, to what do I owe this pleasure? The last I heard, you were out of the country on some protection job with the Bandits. And something about radio silence if I remember correctly."

"Shhhhhhh. Addie, you know I can't talk about my job. There are clauses in those contracts. I am calling you to actually tell you to come out of your office. We're playing a game."

"And how am I to talk to you if I leave my office?"

"Pick up your cell."

"I thought you said that it wasn't you who called."

"Right. But what I left out was the fact that the person who did is right next to me."

"Okay."

She picks up her cell and recognizes the number.

"Hey Elizabeth, of course you're with the Pirate. I should have known. Sometimes it's like you two are always together. I never see you apart. One would think tha…."

"Hey now, none of that is necessary. You know as well as anyone, I will never date your brother. It's weird. I have enough weird in my life right now. So are you going to come play or what?"

"Fine, I guess I have to if I want to see you two, now won't I?"

As she gets up she hears a "YAY!!!" through the phone. She heads out of her office and starts saying "Marco" to which the response is "POLO". She listens for the sound in the actual hospital as well as other sounds from the other end of the line. She continues through the hospital, knowing they would avoid areas where patients needed to rest. They were children at heart, but would never bother patients. They knew how she felt about that. As she keeps walking with a phone attached to her ear and a wide smile on her face that reached her eyes, she started to attract some attention.

Alex Karev stood watching his mentor wandering around apparently playing Marco Polo. He was baffled. He spent the last few months watching Addison, as he now called her, sink into a melancholy mood. Although to anyone else it would seem she was normal, he spent a lot of hours on a lot of days watching and working with her. They had even developed a sort of friendship. He liked her as a person and she was like the sister he never had. If you had asked him back when he was working for Sloan if he would be here right now he would have laughed at your face, but like the woman who convinced him to suck up his pride and ask for what he really wanted had said, things change and people even more so. He was glad that Addison was smiling, but he wanted to know what was making her smile.

Addison sees Alex walking up to her, curiosity written all over his face. And who could blame him? After Thanksgiving her mood had started to decline and he had become worried. He tried his best to cheer her up, but it only did so much. So any insight into how to make her smile would make him curious. Who knew he would become such a good friend. It was funny to hear that people thought they were more than friends; people around here needed lives. Gossip: apparently this hospital runs on it.

When he reaches her, she tells the other end to hold on a sec.

"Hey Alex, what's up?"

"What are you doing Addie?"

"I am playing a game with my brother and his friend who is a girl. Not to be confused with a girlfriend."

And a "Damn straight" and a "Hey" are heard through the phone from the other end.

"So, you are playing Marco Polo. Interesting, can I play too?"

"Seriously? You want to play?"

"Yeah, I have nothing else to do. And I want to meet your brother; you talk about him so much. And girls are good too."

Laughing at the last part, she nods her head and they set off to find the Polo pair. One doctor playing was odd to see, but the two started to not only attract attention, but also gathered a following. They were too caught up in the game to see that the rest of the interns had taken to following them, as well as some others. George, finally having enough of the girls being 'stealth', walked up to the Marco pair and was about to ask what was going on, when the pair stopped in front of two people he had never seen before.

Hanging up her phone, Addison throws herself into her brother's arms, in a very un-Addison like way. Alex nods to Jas and stares in shock at the woman next to him. It was the one who he met a few months ago in the NICU.

_Alex is walking through the NICU, he was on his break and hid...avoiding Dr. Sloan. He had been 'working' for him. He hadn't been in a surgery since he helped O'Malley with the sport baby girl as he named her. He went from intern to gopher. And though he would be shot before he'd admit it, he missed working on the Vagina Squad. Dr. Sheppard was a good teacher and he liked working with her. She was a good person, though none of the others would admit it. God forbid they say something that would hurt Meredith's McDreamy. Sometimes, he thinks that she is the only one that has any feelings in their torrid, little love square. So Alex is wandering around the neonatal unit watching the nurses as they check on their little charges and sees a woman watching the babies from outside the unit. He approached her thinking she was a family member of one of the babies._

"_Hi, can I help you with something?"_

"_Huh? Oh no, I am just fine where I am."_

"_Are any of the babies related to you?"_

"_No, I just like coming up here to see them. Actually, my friend and I are dropping off a baby. He was abandoned out in Nevada, but they found out he had relatives in the area and he still needs some care. So here we are. Oh, and I was talking about the baby not my friend, although the difference is small…so do you work up here?"_

_He didn't know why, but she seemed to make him want to open up. Oh, what the hell, why not._

"_No, I don't. At least not anymore."_

"_Not anymore?"_

"_Well I pissed off the surgical attending of the unit and as punishment she had me attached to her for a while."_

"_Diiirty."_

"_Seriously? I'm being serious."_

"_I'm sorry. I was just trying to make you a little less…never mind. Please continue."_

"_Right, so I was working with her for quite sometime, then she let me off and now I'm interning und...for the plastic surgeon, which is what I wanted to do in the first place. And here I am now."_

"_Well, don't sound so excited about it. You don't sound as happy as someone who is doing what they want. I mean if I was doing what I wanted, I would be totally happy." _

"_Well, I've been thinking that maybe it's not what I wanted. I mean it would be cool with the money and every thing, but what I'm doing right now sucks. Not to mention the guy's kind of an asshole. It's so confusing. I don't know, sometimes I hate work. I like coming up here to think, the little ones tend to be quiet when I am."_

"_Well, I'm not one to offer advice…to people I don't know, people I do are whole different story, but anyway. It sounds to me like you're a different person trying to stay in your old spot. Maybe you're not doing what this 'new' you wants to. Things change, and that's okay, hell so do people. You just need to decide if you want to be the new you or try and go back. If you ignore the change long enough, it will return to the old way..."_

_With that her pager and cell go off at the same time, "Sorry, I have to go. My ride's here. Good luck."_

He never thought he would see her again.

"You?"

"Me, what?"

"You were the chick in the NICU. She's the one who talked me into asking to be your intern, Addie. You totally changed my life and I had no idea who you were. This is so weird," he says excitedly.

"Wait a minute. Raptor, you were here before? Why didn't you stop by?"

"I was here for something else and I had no idea that you worked here now. If I did, I would have been here more often. You know that. Did I change his life for the better or do I have to hide?"

"Oh, no you did good, actually great. I like what I'm doing. It's cool."

Alex turns to George, who is stunned at his friend's outburst, and says, "This is the girl I told you about. She was in the NICU and we got to talking. I told you she was real."

Jas, getting confused, butts in, "Okay. Hold on. I have no idea who the heck half of you are. Addie, will you please introduce us…and you might as well introduce the rest of the crowd as well."

"Yeah, Addie, you know how the Pirate hates being left out of the loop. Okay this is creepy, those people aren't going to eat us are they?" the Raptor adds looking around and starts to hide behind Jas.

Addison turns to see all the people watching them, shaking her head and laughing at the Raptor's antics, she replies, "No, Raptor, they aren't."

Then she addresses the crowd, "Okay everyone, the shows over. Now go about your business."

The crowd just stands there and stares at her, both the Pirate and Raptor standing behind her and glaring at the crowd in a menacing way, causing the group to disband quicker than ever before. When the crowd finally thins, the only ones left are Meredith, Christina, Izzie, Burke, Callie, Bailey, Derek, and Mark.

"Okay, now that everyone has left. You can meet the rest of the doctors of the Seattle Grace team. Oh, and will you both stop glaring at them. We're fine. Everything is fine."

"Is that true, Dr. Karev? Has my Addie been Fine? Because if she has been Fine, Dr. Sheppard and Dr. Sloan had better run. Like. Hell."

"Why would they be in trouble if she says she's fine?" Meredith questions from beside Derek.

Jas turns to look at the intern, "And you are? Because I don't remember addressing you."

"Pirate, now play nice with the little annoying intern. For anyone who doesn't know who we are, I am Beth Philips and this is Jason Montgomery, Addie's brother. Oh, and for all the gossip mongers, we're not together. And to answer your question, person, F.I.N.E. stands for Freaked Out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. And if you don't get the reference you are a sad, sad soul."

"Okay enough. You two are going to be the death of me. We will talk about me later. Right now I shall introduce everyone. You've met Alex; George is right next to him. You know Der and Mark. The intern, you were being mean to, is Meredith. Next to her is Christina, and next to her would be Izzie. The woman glaring at us is Dr. Miranda Bailey; next to her is Callie, both of whom are my friends so say nothing. And lastly is Dr. Burke. Now that you've met everyone, about face and let's go to my office."

The former Marco Polo players head off to Addison's office, leaving behind Der and Mark to answer the questions of their peers.

"I didn't know she had a sister. And who was the girl?"

"Dude, that was weird. Dr. Sheppard was actually happy right then. Standing right here, did you guys see that smile? She never smiles around here. I mean, she might when she's not here but I wouldn't know because I don't see her. Well she must smile, but happy, I mean really happ..."

"O'Malley, shut up. Dr. Sheppard is like anyone else. Just because she is professional in her place of work unlike some people, doesn't mean she isn't normal," Bailey responded.

"So who's gonna explain what just happened here, McDreamy or McSteamy?"

"Christina, it isn't any of our business. And as interesting as that was, we have a valve replacement soon. So have a lovely day."

Dr. Burke and Christina turn and head to their patients' room, together. After the fallout from the tremors passed, they began to work through their relationship. It took time to get back the trust they once had, but they got there. It surprised everyone that they worked it out and the hospital's token couple didn't last.

After a month of being bright and shiny coupled with dull and lifeless, Derek began to realize that it wasn't what he thought it would be. Meredith wasn't who he thought she was. She turned into a clingy woman, who would get jealous every time he so much as looked at Addie for more than a few seconds. It only got worse after he started mending the friendship with his ex. It took a short time to realize that she was a huge part of his life and he needed her still in it. So he decided to try and mend things with her. She was still a little wary of him, but she did agree to let him try over the last few months. Things with Meredith just went down hill from there. They would argue constantly over his interactions with Addie and how she thought that Addie wanted him back. The truth was he was starting to want Addie back, but she still didn't trust him. The only good thing was that she wasn't with anyone else. He was in a much better place, he was even becoming friends with Mark again. The breakup was bigger than he thought it would be when Meredith completely lost it at him in the middle of the surgical floor.

"_What are you doing with them, Derek? Better yet, what are you doing with her?"_

"_Mer, they're my family. I know that you don't get it yet, but they are a part of me. Both of them. Why can't you at least try and understand that I want to be friends with them again."_

"_She's only doing it to get you back. She thinks that if you see what you've been missing you'll go back. I know that's the reason she agreed to this 'friendship'. How can you be so blind? She's nothing but a two bit whore, who can't leave you alone."_

"_WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?!?!? You have no idea what she is or isn't. That 'whore' may have been upset with you and not liked you, but she never ever called you a whore. Damn it. You know what? I'm done with this. If you can't accept my choices you can decide what you want more. Me or whatever it is you seem to be clinging so dearly to."_

"_So I have to choose? You won't change for me? You won't give her up, but you gave me up when she asked? How does that work?"_

"_I was trying to work on our marriage. I had to try, but then I was in love with you. That you, not this one, you've changed really fast. I don't think I can do this anymore, at least not like this."_

"_You know what? Then don't do it. We're done. That's it. I hope you're happy."_

"_Fine, but know that this was your decision and you can't back out of it. This is it for us forever. I'm sorry for this, but it's the way it is."_

And that lasted about two weeks before she decided that she missed him and wanted to try again. The thing was, he didn't. After seeing how she could really be, it made him sick to his stomach. On her worst day Addie still maintained a level of class that Meredith couldn't ever imagine having. After the breakup he couldn't talk with most of the staff because they were friends with Meredith. Mark, one day, walked into the cafeteria and saw him sitting by himself and sat down. Before then, they had been civil to each other and had some small conversations about nothing. At lunch that day, they fell back into post-breakup patterns just like old times. There was still stuff to work on, but with his newly restarted friendship with Mark, he began to realize that all three of them were messed up. As much as he had hated to admit it, Mark was in a bad place too and he ended up cheating with Addie because she wasn't who he really wanted, but she was close. Then again he cheated on Addison because she was close enough to who he wanted. Speaking of Mark, Der turned to look at his friend.

Mark stood staring at the visitors heading off to Addie's office. How could she be here? I left New York because every time I went somewhere I would think about her. This can't be happening.


	2. You're What!

AN: So I finally have the next chapter up. I hope you enjoy it and it makes you happy. I actually have a couple more chapters up, so those will be up in a few days.

* * *

The group walked in to Addie's office and took seats around the room. When they had settled, Addie turned to the Polo half and started the conversation.

"So what are you two troublemakers doing here?"

"Are you talking to me? Because I don't make trouble. And any ways, can't a little brother come visit his favorite big sister?"

"First off, I am your only sister. And secondly, no you can't just come for a visit. It's not in your nature. And the Raptor's here and in protector mode. She's just Beth when you're just visiting to visit."

Jas moves closer to where Beth is sitting on couch and grabs onto her hand. He makes of show of doing all of this and then continues in a very serious and solemn tone.

"Fine. You want the truth? I have some news that I wanted to tell you first. I'm here because Beth's pregnant with my child and we want the best for our baby. The best is you, so we came to you. I figured telling you first was better then telling our parents. Isn't that right, Raptor?"

Addie and Alex stare in shock at the other two. Addie doesn't know what to think. Her brother and Beth were only ever friends. He would bring her as a date to Montgomery or Sheppard family functions, so that all the sisters, Derek's and herself, wouldn't set him up on dates. It worked well because Beth did the same thing with her family's parties. They were too much alike to be actually together. They were just not that way. How could they be together and having a child? How could he not tell her that they were together? This isn't good. With what they do, they can't have a child.

"Hey, don't bring me into this. Stop lying to your sister, Pirate. Ass. I'm here because it's fun to see you, Addie, and I need fun right now. I am not pregnant and we're not together. I do have some taste in men. Mind you, lately it's been off, but the taste is still there."

Beth, aka the Raptor, sat watching Addie relax at the admission, but she missed the fact Addie caught the end of that statement. Addie then slapped her brother, who was laughing hysterically. Beth watched the siblings as she remembered the first time meeting Jas and then Addie.

_The Raptor is sitting at a table in a bar with her team. The six people are all drinking mojitos and waiting. A few minutes later, a group of six enters the bar. The Raptor's eyes fall on the only man in the group. He has red hair cropped short and has a muscular build—shown off by his emerald green wife beater—and black cargo pants that accentuate all the right places. The group sits at a table nearby and orders drinks, mojitos as well. A few moments later a drink is brought to the Raptor. She inquires of the origin and discovers that the hot guy from the other table sent it over with a request to dance. She downed the drink and headed over to the table. She had made contact with the other agent team—now to the mission. They danced and made plans to complete their mission, which ended in a success. The twelve agents paired off rather quickly, each pair seemed to fit perfectly personality wise and seemed to give off a couple-like vibe, which would get them in trouble from time to time. They were all well on their way to becoming family._

That first job was the start of a beautiful friendship. The former Delta Force redhead became one of the closest people in her life, second only to her Family. The Banditts and Nomad were the best of the best both in their real jobs, but also their cover jobs. Their families had no idea the complete extent of their jobs; all they knew was that they protected people. As a result of their friendship, it hadn't surprised her when Jason had come to her with a favor request, it's not like it hadn't happened before with different things.

"_Please Beth, I can't go by myself. There will be single women that they will set me up with. I don't want to be eaten."_

"_Oh, is the big, bad former Delta scared of his sister?"_

"_No. I am afraid of my sister and her boyfriend's four sisters. Every time I see them, I hear about how there is another perfect girl for me."_

"_Why don't you take one of the girls from your team?"_

"_Because Addie's met them and knows I would never date one of them. It'd be weird."_

"_Do I have to get dressed up, because I have nothing to actually wear."_

"_I got you something to wear. So will you please come? I'll love you forever."_

"_Fine. I'll go, but you owe me big…wait. You assumed I would say yes, didn't you?"_

"_Maybe."_

"_I'm gonna have to hurt you one day. And now I want presents for this."_

_Two Days Later_

"_How did I get here? I hate parties and we're in New York. I'm not allowed in New York right now without express permission unless I'm suicidal. Which I'm not. Oh God, and they think we're dating. That will get around town and you know what happened last time. This is not good, not good at all."_

"_You'll be great. Everyone will love you, and I'll tell them that we're not dating. Will that make you feel better?"_

"_No, going home to DC would make me feel better. Not being in this dress will make me feel better. Carrying enough weapons to supply a small army will make me feel better. Being anywhere but here will make me feel better. Can we do that? I think we should do that. Shit. This shouldn't be making me nervous. Okay, deep breath in and out. In and out. In and out. Okay. Let's go before I freak out again."_

_Jas rings the doorbell. A tall redhead answers the door and throws herself into Jas's waiting arms. They greet each other as only siblings can and then she turns to the Raptor._

"_Hi, my name's Addison. You must be Elizabeth, Jason's 'friend'. Come on in, you two are the last to arrive." _

"_Hi. Yea, I'm Beth, but my friends call me Raptor." At Addison's raised eyebrow she continues, "It's a call sign. I have family in the Navy and I like to fly planes, so I have one."_

"_Of course there's some military in you. At least you're not a marine. There was this one time…"_

That was the first of many parties and holiday get-togethers that she attended with Jas and his family. She had become one of them rather quickly, and gotten rather close with Addison, and became fast friends with someone else.

"_So Mark, how was your last date?"_

"_It was good, Lizzy. I had lots of fun. We did lots of activities. It was rather enlightening. If you want, I can show you what I learned."_

"_Thanks for the offer, but I think that I'd rather not run the risk of catching something."_

"_You wound me. I'll have you know that I am always safe. I am a doctor, you know."_

"_Whatever you say, my favorite manslut."_

_Mark turns to pout at her._

"_Okay, I believe you," she says to appease him and he smiles at that._

"_So, have you and Jas started doing the deed yet, or are you two still just friends?"_

"_That's disgusting Mark. I am not ever going to be with Jas, so let it go already. And could you be any more crude?"_

"_Yes, yes I can. Oh, don't be mad, Lizzy. I just like getting a rise out of you. You know you like me."_

"_Yeah, you know I love you, but I think I need to leave before you get any worse, so I'm gonna go help Mama Sheppard."_

"_You have no idea how much I wish that were true, Lizzy," he whispers under his breathe as she walks away and Derek catches what he says._

Like she told Addie, she needed some fun right now. She had spent time across the ocean and needed a break from work. Since the both of them traveled a lot, she had only heard through Jas all that had happened between Addie, Der, and Mark. But when she did, she called Addie and listened to what happened. She had understood why Addie did what she did, didn't agree with it, but she did understand. She had talked to all three of them, but Mark had remained tight-lipped about his reasons and had been extremely distant since then. As hard as she tried not to, Beth could understand Der's reaction, shit, she had left the country because of her ex's cheating and she never ran from anything…ever. It was odd though really, as much as her team had tried to make it better for her, all she could think about was talking to Mark. He always had a way of making her feel better because he wouldn't treat her much differently given her moods or situation. He'd always flirt and proposition her; it made her feel special and cared about. But this time around, she didn't get that, which sucked six. She missed him and apparently he was upset with her and she had to fix that, but first she'd help Addie feel better. Then she was going to work things out with Mark, no matter what. Turning her attention back to the two siblings, she asked Addie a question.

"So…now that you know we're here just to visit, tell me, why are you F.I.N.E.?" the Raptor inquired.

"Oh, will you stop? I'm just down because of the holidays. Now that you two are here, things are looking up a lot. Things with Der and Mark are much better. We're getting back to where we were in college and med school. I'm just lonely. I mean Christmas was our time, mine and Der's and now it's not," Addie explained.

"So, what my mentor is actually trying to say is that she is still in love with McDickhead."

"Alex!!!!"

"What?? He is a dick if he hasn't realized that he let the best thing he ever had go. And don't try and tell me you don't still love him because if you wanted company you have me and all your other friends. So it's that you miss _him_ specifically."

"You know that there are days when I wonder why I said 'yes' to being your mentor."

"Because I'm smart, sexy, and have this ability to amuse you at the worst possible moments?"

"Ah… now I remember. You remind me of my brother."

Both Alex and Jas turn to size each other up, while Addie and Beth burst out laughing.

"As soon as you two are done posturing over there, can we get something to eat? I'm hungry and have to work 'til late tonight."

"Sweet, food. I love food. It makes me happy," Jas piped in.

"Good Pirate, because you're buying," the Raptor rejoined.

"What?!?! How'd that happen?"

"Man. You just got played. For once it's you and not me. I think I'm going to like having a guy around that doesn't think I want something. This is going to be fun. "

The sound of laughter is heard through the entire office as the four prepared to head out. As happy and calm as this office was, another held one very disturbed surgeon and his bemused friend.

After the group left for Addison's office, it was all Mark could do not to run all the way to his office. He made it there to safety, leaving everyone except Derek confused. Disregarding the looks from everyone else, Derek headed after his friend. He was going to make sure this time that he didn't let Mark down like he did the last time. He realized that he hadn't only been absent in his marriage, but in his friendship with Mark as well, and that had hurt them both. Now he was trying to fix that. So, when he walked into Mark's office, his friend launched into a full-on rant.

"This can't be happening! The last time I saw her, I slept with Addie!" At this statement Derek gives him a questioning look. "Oh, stop looking at me like that. Okay, so it wasn't exactly like that, but my side of it did start with her."

"You can't put that on her. She didn't know then and she doesn't know now. She just knows that she did something to upset you, what she's not sure. Mark, if you don't tell her, you can't blame her for not reciprocating."

"I can't. At least I can pretend I have a chance with her. But as soon as I tell her, then the possibility is gone. Derek, she makes me crazy…this isn't me. I am not _this_ insecure."

"I recall having this conversation a while ago. It was at Nancy's birthday party…"

_Beth and Jas are on the dance floor. All eyes are on the two of them. They move in perfect sync and look like they belong together. Seated at the bar is the one person who doesn't enjoy this fact at all._

"_Give me another shot."_

"_Mark, don't you think you've had enough?"_

"_No Derek, I don't believe I have. I mean, look at them. They're perfection. No one should look that good together. Shit. I need another drink."_

"_So what if they look good together? They aren't together, that's the point. She isn't taken. If you would just tell her how you feel, none of this would be a problem. You know it might be easier on you both too. You know that she has no idea. When it comes to her love life, she tends to be oblivious. Let her know, Mark, it's the only way. It worked for me and Addie. Just tell her."_

"_Oh yeah, Derek, let me go up to the girl who thinks I'm a slut and tell her I'm in love with her. That'll work. I mean, she doesn't notice that there are never any other women around when she's around, Derek. Why would she ever think about being with me? She couldn't possibly have feelings for me. I'm not you. She thinks I'm a joke! The woman I'm in LOVE with thinks I'm a fucking JOKE! Her favorite-fucking-manslut. Pun not intended though since it's there, we'll go with it. I have no choice but to ignore it."_

"_First, the fact is it's only when she's here that there aren't girls. When she's gone, there's a new one every night. She hears about your exploits. Second, you're in love with her? Like the forever kind of love?"_

"_Yuppers, my bestest friend in the whole entire world. And I blame you for all of this too…by the way. You met Addie whose brother is Jason the stupid Pirate, who brings **her** to all the family functions. So if you hadn't fallen in love, which by the way is another issue in its entirety, I wouldn't have to see her or have met her for that matter."_

"_Question? How does my falling in love affect you?"_

"_You broke the rule!!!" And at Der's raised eyebrow he continues, "The 'no falling in love' rule, because if one of us succumbs to it then the other will follow. And oh, would you look at that? I did, damnit…fuck it all. I give up. I just need to forget. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Barkeep, I need another drink."_

"_You can't ignore it. I know it's scary, but it will make you crazy if you keep it inside. You'll do stupid things if you do. Mark, it's best if you tell her."_

"_Derek, I'm not good enough for her. She's great. She's perfect. Okay, maybe not perfect, but she's pretty damn close. I can be me around her, like with you and Addie. But when I'm with her and I think about telling her I lose it. It's like I'm a mess. Fuck that. I am a mess. I can't be like this, so I need to forget about it and her. It's the only way."_

"_Mark, you can try, but it won't work. You have to learn that on your own, I guess. And trying to tell you this now is probably pointless, but drinking won't make you forget."_

"…you didn't listen to me then and you slept with my wife, so I think that I was right."

"Fine, you were right. Are you happy now?"

"No, but if you tell her I will be."

"Not happening any time soon, so don't hold your breath. We wouldn't want you to pass out during a surgery…well maybe Jas would," Mark finished with a smile.

"Funny, real funny. Since you seem to be back to your funny-man self, are you ready to join the real world again like a big boy and stop hiding in your office?"

"Oh, shut up. At least I don't refer to the Raptor as my girlfriend when she's not. You're still calling Addie your wife."

"I do not."

"You just did not five minutes ago. Is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

"What? It was a slip…old habits and all that stuff."

"Derek. Now who's not being an adult?"

"What do you want me to say, that I never stopped loving her? That I screwed up more than the either of you did with the affair? That she's all I can think about when I'm alone in my head? Well, fine. It's all true…my God, how did we get here?" Derek admitted.

"I don't know, but at least we're friends this time around."

Before Derek could say anything else, the sound of pager-calls filled the room. Both doctors composed themselves and headed for the door. As messed up as they were, both of them knew that this time things would turn out better, if for only that they knew there was someone watching their backs. As corny and cliché as it sounds, they were family once more and nothing could change that again.

* * *

AN: Okay, so that was that. There is more to come. I hope you guys like it and reviews would be greatly appreciated.


	3. New Friends and Old Heartbreaks

AN: Here's the next one. There will be new characters introduced and are randomly mentioned in this. Enjoy all.

* * *

**New Friends and Old Heartbreaks **

All eyes turned to look at the group entering the cafeteria. The small group continued their discussion of cafeteria cuisine, ignoring the attention, until one took his leave and headed over to a table with three expecting faces and George. Alex sat down at the interns' table and proceeded to eat his dinner, ignoring the inquisitive looks the girls kept giving him. Alex had become a master at ignoring them and knew that George would wait until he wanted to tell him something.

Now that had friendship came out of nowhere. He was as surprised as anyone to find out that he and George could be friends. It might have started out as necessity, but he found that he enjoyed the masculine company. It helped out a lot more than people thought. When he first picked up neonatology, he found that not all the Attendings shared in Addison's enthusiasm. Dr. Sloan had become even more intolerable and looked like he wanted to hurt him. It was as if he changed specialties because he wanted to get with Addison. Apparently Dr. Sheppard shared in this speculation because the hostility emanating from the man was so palpable that you could probably cut it with a saw. It bothered him somewhat, but he didn't want to upset Addison by complaining to her about them. It all blew over after the three Attendings started becoming friends again, but not before Alex gained a new friend.

He was at Joe's one night telling Joe about all the glaring and stuff when O'Malley plopped down on the stool next to him and sighed. Joe turned to him and asked what was wrong and that somehow led to Alex and George talking about all the shit that had been going on, which in turn led to them becoming friends. It was just plain weird. The change was subtle enough that neither man had noticed it, until one day at lunch Izzie had asked if they had been replaced by pod people. They both had just shrugged and went back to eating. It's days like these that make him glad he did become friends with George. Alex was stirred from his thoughts by a throat clearing rather loudly.

"So what's the deal with Satan and her new friends?"

"Yeah, who's the condescending bitch with her and her brother? God, do you believe the way they talked to me. I mean I guess it's to be expected considering who they're friends with."

Sensing his friend's growing irritation and anger at the questions and attacks on Dr. Sheppard, George stepped in.

"Really, could you guys be any more childish? I mean, just because you guys are jealous or whatever doesn't mean you have the right to call people names. Dr. Sheppard has been nothing but nice to you, Iz. Hell, she even offered to be your mentor. And Mer, you were being kinda nosey and inserting yourself into their conversation. Not to mention the reference was so obvious. I mean how many times have we all watched the _Italian Job_? Seriously, you need to lay off Alex. Just because he's friends with Dr. Sheppard, doesn't give you the right to hound him for information. If you want to know something, go over there and ask them," and with that he returned to his food.

Christina wore inquisitive look and decided to vocalize her question, "Are you sure you two aren't dating? Because you seem to be hanging out an awful lot and you defend each other more than most would expect," and both men almost choked on their food at her observation.

When he can speak again, Alex turned and glared at her. "Just because we're friends and hang out doesn't mean we're dating. He has a fiancée and I have a steady girlfriend, who you will never meet if you keep up like this. And George is right, you two need to lay off Addie or…you know what? It's not worth it. I'm gonna go eat with Addie, Jas, and Beth. I'll see you later George."

He grabbed his food and headed over to the three people he walked in with. George watched the look on the girls' faces as Alex left. The look told him that they were about to go into a full-on rant and he didn't really want to hear it today. So he cut them off at the start.

"Don't even start that 'how can he be that way' spiel again. I'm tired of it. If he was really your friend he shouldn't have to defend himself to you all the time. I can't believe you. Just because someone doesn't fit into your idea of how they should be doesn't mean you have the right to treat them that way. My God, I let you do the same thing to Callie. It's a wonder that she still wants me. You can keep doing this, but I'll warn you now. You'll be by yourselves, losing me and Alex to start with. I'll see you later. I'm going to eat with them."

"Do you believe them?? We are not like that. How can George think that we're like that?"

"Because Izzie, you guys are. I don't really care, but that's me. I mean the stuff with Callie and then after Mer broke up with McDreamy, hateful seems like the nice thing."

"Oh, like you didn't agree with us, Chris."

"Mer, I never said I did. But then again, I never actually said I was Bambi's best friend or claimed to have romantic feelings for Alex. The status quo of my relationship with them hasn't changed. They still talk to me and I haven't changed. You have."

"Whatever. I don't think that we're like that. Do you, Mer?"

"I think that everyone's just paranoid. Let them go."

Shaking her head, Christina got up and headed off to find Burke to see if they could go home. She passed the table of five and saw Callie head their way. Directly behind her are the Dr.'s Sheppard and Sloan. Man, she was going to miss more of what was going on, maybe she'd wait on finding Burke. It had to be good if what she heard was true—McSteamy was freaked out about either Dr. Sheppard's brother or the girl. Things were going to get interesting.

Callie was not one to be nosey, but even she had to fight the overwhelming urge to not stop at Addie's table. After her break up and subsequent make up and engagement with George, she had taken to sitting with the interns. That really sucked because Izzie and Meredith didn't seem to want to let her into their little circle. Christina was Christina, so she was that way to everyone and Alex was a lot nicer than most people gave him credit for. So here she was, wanting to sit with her friend and find out about the cute brother and pretty girl he came with. She was about to pass by the table when a hand shot out to stop her. She stared at the offending hand and followed it to its owner, where she found her fiancée. She shot him a confused look, but he just shrugged his shoulder and waited for her to sit down next to him.

"So apparently we have some new people added to our group. What happened, the girls threaten to eat you, Alex?"

"No, Beth, they didn't threaten to eat me. But one day they're going to push me too far and someone may not survive."

"Hold on, they can't be that bad. I mean my best friends are all girls and they aren't horrible."

"Yeah, but you forget something Jas, your girls aren't typical girls. They come from the same stock as Addie, Der's sisters, and me. And actually, I believe Callie might fit into that category. Your name is Callie right? Because if it's not, I'm so completely and utterly sorry. And you're George right?"

Callie is the first to answer. "Yea, that's me and he is George. I think that you're right, because I'd like to think that I'm like Addie. So who are you guys? Like I know who you are, but I don't…ya know?"

"Yea, we know. Well, I am Addie's favorite little brother…"

"Actually, he's my only little brother," Addie commented.

"As I was saying, I am her favorite brother, whom she loves to death. Occupationally speaking, I am in the protection business. I hold the title of best or head protector in my firm. Beth, here, is a protection agent as well. She…"

"…can speak for herself. I work for what was once the rival to the Banditt firm. Nomad Protections is a protection firm and I hold his position within my firm, but I'm not as vocal about it."

"And why are you here?"

"George!"

"What?"

"No, it's okay. We're here because I wanted to see my sister and scare certain people."

"And I'm here to fix a friendship I hadn't realized was broken and to hang with my favorite baby doc."

While they were having their conversation, Derek and Mark were looking for a place to sit. Addison saw them and motioned them to come over. Both hesitated for a moment, seeing the rest of the table, but in the end decided to go and be adults. The others moved to make room at the table and both men ended up in between Beth and Addie.

"Hey, Derek, Hey, Mark."

A mumbled "Hey, Pirate" was heard from both men and the rest of the table was trying to suppress their amusement. George, with some of the new found Alex in him, voiced the question the other two semi-outsiders were thinking.

"So, are they the ones you're here to scare?"

At the question, both Addie and Beth couldn't contain their laughter. Both the men turned to glare at the offending women.

"I'm so glad you think this is funny…"

"…He wants to kill us and you two are laughing…"

"…I mean aren't you supposed to protect us or something and you…"

"…are supposed to tell him we've been good and not doing anything to you."

The entire table stared at them in complete shock. Well, three were staring in shock and three in amazement. The two were acting like friends again, correction—best friends again. Snapping out of their daze, they entered the conversation.

"I didn't say you did anything to me. He isn't going to do anything to you. He promised."

"Do you really think I would let anything happen to the two of you?" Beth asked. At their vigorous nodding she continued, "Oh thanks for the confidence in my protector professionalism. I am now hurt and offended." And with that she turned her pout on both of them.

Mark stared at her with that pout on her face and found that he couldn't stay in such close proximity to her without feeling the overwhelming need to kiss her. He needed to get out of there now. He got up abruptly, took his tray, and dumped it on his way out while the table stared after the abrupt departure. Derek was about go and follow him, when he was stopped by the Raptor's question.

"Seriously, Derek what did I do to him? He apparently can't be in same room with me anymore. I just need to know what I did that was so bad. Please tell me," the Raptor questioned, slowly becoming visibly upset.

"Beth, you need to ask him. I know that you want to know, but he has to be the one to tell you. You should go after him. Maybe that will work out for the both of you."

Nodding her head, she got up and followed Mark. She finally caught up with him outside one of the on-call rooms. Getting fed up with him ignoring her shouts, she pulled him into the room and locked the door, standing in front of it.

"Beth, you need to move. I have somewhere to be."

"Fine. I'll move if you tell me where you have to go."

"I have to…uh…go and check…find a …"

"Stop trying to lie to me. You never could. It's why I always new exactly what your latest flavor was. Now for the love of God, tell me what I did wrong. I can't take this anymore."

"There's nothing wrong. We're fine…I mean good."

"Bullshit. Ever since I found out about the divorce you've been shutting me out, hell, even before then. You were always there when I needed you and you weren't there this time. Apparently, I did something and I want to know what."

"Hold on. When did you need me and I wasn't there?"

"This…this isn't about me. This is about you telling me what I did."

"No. Tell me what happened, Lizzy."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. You can tell me anything, you know that."

She moved away from the door and sat on the lower bunk of one of the beds. She was making herself as small as possible, drawing in shaky breathes. His heart was breaking at seeing the strong woman he loved hurting so much. The war of fear and love were fighting in him, and eventually the love and need to protect her won out. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap.

"Lizzy, sweetheart, tell me what happened. I'm here now. I won't let anything else happen to you. I promise. Please, sweets?"

Drawing in a deep breathe, she started, "About a year ago, I was coming home from a job. We were done early so I thought I would surprise Jack. He was off duty for the weekend and I wasn't on another job for a few days. I was so excited and when I walked into the house, I…"

She took a deep breathe to calm herself and tried to continue, but lost the fight and burst into tears. Mark could do nothing but hold the ball of Raptor in his lap. He rubbed small circles on her back, while thinking about how he missed this. He had been wrapped up in his own feelings about her relationship with someone else that he started avoiding her. He wanted her to be happy, but it hurt so he avoided her. He had failed her, if she was this hurt. As soon as he found out what Jack did, he was going to get Derek, the Pirate, and the baby Sheppard and they were gonna do some real damage. As he thought about various ways to damage the asshole, Beth was slowly calming down and continued her story.

"He was home because the lights were on. So I walked in and heard noise from the living room. I thought it was the TV, so I headed that way. When I got there…I saw…saw him on the couch…and there was Sam, you know the girl Spawn was dating…they were on the couch…fuck… he was on the damn couch we bought, fucking my best friend's girlfriend. How could he do that to me? How could they do that to us? And then I tried to call you...so many times, but you never answered. I don't know what I did, but I didn't have you around and I needed you around. I ran, Mark. I left the country. I don't run from anything, ever, but every time I saw him or something that reminded me of him I couldn't breathe. He broke me and my best friend. I wanted to kill him and my heart broke at the same time. This shouldn't hurt still. Make it stop hurting," she finished, burying her head into the crook of his neck as he held her as her body was shaking.

Damn. All those calls weren't to yell at him. She needed him and he avoided her because he didn't want to hear the disappointment in her voice as she asked him to explain. He thought she was going to yell at him for breaking up Der and Addie. God, he let her down. And now she wanted to know why he had left her by herself to go through this. She wouldn't have gone to her team or family, because they would all be plotting to kill Jack and keeping an eye on Spawn, so she was by herself. That jackass did a number on her if she ran. How was he going to explain himself?

"Mark? Why didn't you answer? I don't know what I did," she asked again, her voice breaking.

"Shit, Lizzy! You didn't do anything. God. Nothing you could do could make me hate you. Sweetheart, it was my fault. I thought it was about the stuff with Der and Addie."

"But I left you voicemails, I didn't know about that 'til later."

"Babe, I couldn't bring myself to listen to the voicemails. Hearing you disappointed in me would have made it worse. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown you off like that. I am so sorry...it was a really bad time for me…I was…shit, I can't do this right now."

"Mark, what is it? Why would my being disappointed with you make it worse? And how could you think that I would yell?"

"How can you not? How can you look at me now, after what he did to you? How can you sit here with me or be in the same room with me after all that?"

"You're my friend, Mark. I care about you. I know that you had your reasons for doing what you did. You just won't tell me what they are. You sure as hell aren't Jack either. He told me his reasons and they didn't hold any validity. And you're avoiding my questions."

"It's complicated. I…I have no idea where to begin."

"Most people start at the beginning. They say it's a good place to start," she said with a small smile playing at her lips, looking up at him. When he was about to answer her, his pager went off.

"I have to go. It's a 911 page."

"Fine, you can go and be all heroic, but you aren't off the hook. I want to know. I'm here now, and I will find out what your reasons are. But go now."

He nodded his head, placed a kiss on her forehead and headed out the door. She stared at the door as it closed. Throwing herself backwards, she flopped onto the mattress with her feet still planted on the floor. She pondered what little insight she had gained. "This thing…whatever it is…is driving me nuts. He keeps avoiding something and I don't know what. Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't know because Derek does. I wonder if Addie knows. Well, staying here isn't going to do me any good. I should probably go find someone," and with that last thought, she headed out the door in search of her friends.


	4. Who Invited the Air Force?

AN: Okay, this is the thing. I have a twisted mind that is indulged by my friend, Hotwire, and so the story just got more complicated. There is a crossover from the Stargate fandoms, but you don't have to know too much about it. There are just more people to love and love them I do. John and Cam are cool peoples and I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**Who Invited the Air Force?**

After exiting the on-call room, she wondered around. Outside the windows, the night lights were on. Figuring she would find Addie or Jas, she pulled out her cell and dialed the number. After a quick conversation, she headed back to the cafeteria. Seeing the group she's looking for, she plopped down on an empty seat and proceeded to bang her head against the table. Callie, Miranda, and Addie just stared at her for a while. After a few minutes of watching in amusement, Addie stuck her hand in between the Raptor's head and the table. When her head didn't make contact with the table again, she looked up.

"Hey! Why'd you do that? I was having fun trying to give myself a concussion."

"Well, I didn't want to have to fix you up when you did. So I stopped you. You wanna share with the class where the sudden need to hurt yourself came from?"

"No, not really. I find internalizing things make life so much better."

"Beth."

"What? Don't 'Beth' me. I came here to fix things with Mark and from the conversation I just had I think that it's going to get more complicated. Not to mention the fact that I know you and Derek know, hell, probably even Jas knows, what is going on and you won't tell me. Will you?" she inquired, turning her head to stare at Addie with a little pout.

"Look. I get that you want to know what's up with Mark and everything, but it's not my place. So, even if I want to, I can't. Trust me. Derek and I have had this conversation over and over again…"

_Addison pulls Derek with her after watching Beth go after Mark. She pulls him out of earshot of the others and starts in, "Derek, we have to tell her."_

"_No Addie, it's not our place. They have to figure this out on their own."_

"_But if she knew, then she could convince him he's wrong. You know she doesn't pay attention to her own love life. When it comes to the others she's on top of everything, but when it comes to her, she just doesn't see it."_

"_As much as I know you're right, we can't. It's for him to tell, not us."_

"_Not even a little hint?"_

_At this Derek just stares at her. And eventually she concedes, as she had every other time they had this conversation. Maybe now that the two of them were talking it out, he would tell her. At her concession nod, Derek is about to take his leave when he turns and asks her a question. After receiving her response he does leave and Addison returns to her table to await the return of the Raptor._

"…And anyway, isn't it one of the rules of the Family?"

"Oh sure, use the Family against me. Stupid rules. I knew they would come and bite me in the six some day."

Slightly confused at the turn of the conversation and what she meant, Callie asked Beth, "Six?"

"I hang out with flyboys of different persuasions, and by persuasions I mean branches of the military, and am considered one. That being said, six is a reference to the position on the clock…"

"…or it's a term for your butt."

"Thanks Addie, I was just getting there."

"And this whole Family thing?"

"Well Miranda, the Raptor works for Nomad Protections and my brother works for Banditt Protections. They had this little rivalry thing going on, but were hired to work a big protection job. One thing lead to another and they all became really close. Like Beth and Jas are so alike sometimes it's scary. As time went on they formed a family, which increases in membership whenever they decide you are cool enough. Right?"

"Yeah, that would be it in the simplest of terms. It tends to get complicated if you go into it further."

"Yes, well as nice as that would be, I have two handsome men to get home to. So see you all later," she ended and a chorus of 'byes' and 'nights' were exchanged as she left.

With that exit, the rest of the table fell into a companionable silence. Addie and Callie returned to their cups of coffee, while Beth put her head back onto the table. After finishing her cup, Callie decided to retire for the night as well. The silence went on for some more time only to be broken by two shouts.

"Captain Philips!!!!"

Beth looked up and turned into the direction of the shouts, and what she saw surprised her to no end. Standing at the entrance to the cafeteria were four men, two of whom were Jas and Derek. The other two were dressed in full dress uniforms befitting officers in the US Air Force, complete with the hats. She hadn't seen these two in over six months. Being that her life was complicated, her Agency status allowed for her to maintain a standing in the Navy, so she spent about a year at a military post where these two worked under her command. Not to mention that one of them was related to Derek.

"Well, I'll be damned. Lt. Col.'s John Sheppard and Cameron Mitchell, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to visit my brother and…" Sheppard started.

"I'm here to make sure he stays out of trouble," Mitchell interrupted.

"Okay then, Cam, who's gonna keep you out of trouble?"

"Um...you?"

"Nice try."

"Wait a minute here. When the hell did you become a captain? And how do you know little Johnny?"

At Addie's' use of the nickname, Cam had to comment. "Little Johnny?!?!??!"

"Shut up, Cam. Only my siblings are allowed to call me that. So don't even think about it."

"Okay, you both need to stop. This is so weird. I knew you looked familiar when I met you, I just didn't know why…which is retarded because that hair can only be genetic. Jas, did you know that they were related?"

"Yea…um…no. Well, it's good to know that not all the Sheppard men are tools. Just you, Derek."

"Wait, how do you know my brother?"

"Jason is Addison's brother. His full name is Jason Oliver Montgomery. And that makes the Dr.'s Sheppard part of the Family, which actually would have made you Family before we met you."

"Could the family get any bigger? I mean the way you guys keep going the whole world's going to end up on that list of people."

Both protection agents looked at Addison and started nodding their heads at her question, then turned to scowl at her. Jas was about to answer her, when John stepped in.

"Hey, it's not their fault they are excessively overprotective. That just makes them good at what they do."

"Yes, baby brother, while that is true, how do you know the Pirate and Raptor? And Beth, when did you get promoted and how did you get promoted?"

The Raptor was about to answer when another shout interrupted the conversation. Mark was making his way over to the crowd and saw John.

"Well, if it isn't the littlest of the Sheppard clan. And in uniform no less."

Sheppard turned to glare at his brother's friend, which turned into a smirk, "Just because I look better than you do, isn't a reason to be jealous, Marcus."

"Oh, look at who thinks he's all grown up and can call me_ that_. No one calls me that, not even my mother."

"Oh, will you two just stop. I want to know the answer to my question. And you are interrupting."

"Fine, Der. Just tell me what the question is so I know and I'll stop."

"Well, Mark, he wanted to know how the Pirate and I know Shep. And to answer that question, I was his CO for a time. I was promoted when I first started being his CO and I can be promoted for reasons that you shouldn't worry about. Not to mention he's dating my female best friend. I mean I could tell you everything, but then there's paper work. And I hate paper work. There is also the part where we might have to kill you for it and that also requires paper work of a different sort. And did I mention I hate paper work. It piles up if avoided and it is avoided. And the Family would be upset and I really don't need that now. So…yeah. Are we clear? Good, because there is no more."

Half way through the ramble, John turned pale and stood stock still. His stance was something akin to a deer caught in headlights. He hadn't told anyone in his family about his girlfriend. Oh, he hoped no one caught that part stuck in the middle. He'd never hear the end of it. After she finished, he scanned the group and almost all eyes were on Beth. The only one not staring at her in disbelief was Addie, whose whole focus was solely on him. He was so gonna die unless he could shift her focus.

Addison stared at her ex-brother-in-law, when did he get a girlfriend? This was interesting, very interesting. Well, at least she now had something to ask Beth about, because it's not like John would ever speak to her again. God, how did everything end up back at the stupid things she had done? Great, for a minute everything was back to normal. And had it been before everything, she would have started ribbing him right away.

"What she didn't mention is that she left us for a position on an…" John began.

"…aircraft carrier, with a bunch of flyboys. We're flyboys and need direction too. Not to mention the fact she ..." Cam continued as they switched off telling the story.

"…. she left us, which is so not cool, because she left us…."

"…with a jackass. And I didn't even get to punch him for what he did. You got to punch him. Why'd he get to punch him and I didn't?" Cam finished their diatribe, turning to the Raptor.

Beth stared at the two Air Force colonels and wondered where the hell this conversation took a turn toward the past. She didn't want to talk about the reason for her leaving a post she loved. She just wanted to ignore that and get on with her life. Yeah, she missed the people she worked with, but it wasn't worth the pain and memories. So she left and found a place as CAG aboard ship. It wasn't the ideal job, but it was close enough. She really couldn't blame them for feeling the way they did, but she could yell at them for revealing classified information to un-cleared people. She assumed the pissed off Raptor pose.

"Both of you, front and center. NOW!" she ordered. "Which one of you wants to explain to me when the three of them got clearance for classified information? Because the last time I checked, they didn't. I would know if they did. And Col. Mitchell, the reason you didn't get to punch him is because he outranks you and it would get you court marshaled. That is one thing. The next thing is that I told you all that what happened doesn't matter. Drop it, and you _will_ do that. Is that understood?"

Both men were standing at attention in front of her and at her question they both reply a half-hearted "Yes, ma'am."

Jason had been watching the entire exchange with an air of amusement, until the guys started in on Beth about her leaving. He then turned to watch his friend as they continued, seeing her demeanor change from cool and collected to…not. Her entire demeanor changed, but only those who knew her could see it. And boy, did he see it. Everything she said to them was a front to help her keep it together in front of her men, because no matter where she was posted, they would always be a part of her crew. Where did this come from? They were on leave. It was supposed to be simple, visit Addie, Beth work things out with Mark, and put that part of the family back together again. Things had just gotten complicated and they needed to regroup, decompress and come up with a new plan. It was SOP and that was what they were going to do. Now, just to get her out of here before she lost control of her emotions.

"Okay. Now that you've put the smack down, I think it's time we headed out. We've been traveling for two days and I want to sleep. So say goodbye, and get that pretty six up and move," Jas intervened.

"Wait…what? Who said I was done?"

"I did. And because the rest of the Nomad put me in charge of making sure you don't end up making yourself crazier than you already are. So we're going."

"I think….that you're right. I am kinda tired. I think we should head out to the hotel."

"Okay, hold on. You are staying with me, not a hotel. I don't want to hear anything about you putting me out either. You're staying with me and that's final."

"Addie, we're both tired and don't really feel like wandering around looking for your house."

"Don't worry. Since I'm on-call, Der and Mark can take you. They both live really close by. Well, I guess it would be Mark and I live close to Derek, but that's not the point. They both know the way and are heading home so you won't have to worry about getting lost."

To this the Raptor said, "I'm sure that they both want to catch up with John here. And we don't want to put them out."

"Well Raptor, it just so happens that Addie is right. It's on the way and won't be a problem. I'm assuming you guys have a car so you can follow me, and Mark will follow you."

"It'll be our own little caravan. It will be fun."

"Fine, since the three of you insist. We'll stay with you, Addie. We should grab our stuff out her office, Beth."

As she replied, the group started the trek to Addie's office. "Right you are, can't go anywhere without keys. Oh and I'm driving this time. You almost killed my car on the way here, Mister-I-need-to-press-the-red-button-in-the-middle-of-traffic."

At this John and Cam looked between Beth and Jas outraged and asked them both, "He hit the NOS button?!?!?"

The other two turned to stare at the flyboys. Who says that out loud in front of a bunch of doctors? Really? Maybe they missed it. That would be good. They both turned to look at the other three, in hopes that they did miss it. What they saw told them otherwise.

"Street racing?!?!?! Are you two suicidal or just stupid?"

"What would posses you to be driving with something that volatile in your engine?"

"Damn it. What the hell are you thinking? I mean you both know you can die from that right?"

"Thanks, Mark. I had no idea that you could die from that. But it is technically safer than our chosen occupation. I mean come on. We step in front of bullets for a general living. I don't think a race now and then is going to do much."

"And you all know her; there is no way she would take unnecessary chances with the lives of the people she loves. The Family cars are the safest out of any car out on the street, even with the NOS. So calm down and let's go home…oh and we'd appreciate you two not saying stuff like that in front of the crazy doctor people," Jas finished turning to the flyboys.

At the looks of protest the Raptor added, "They don't get it like we do. It's not something that they see the fun side of. They get the putting them back together part. So we'd rather not worry them any more than they already do. It'd be like telling them all about what you do."

She finished with a shrug and John was about to say something, but then thought better of it at Cam's look. He then turned to his brother and questioned him.

"So we can stay with you, right?"

"Well, let me think. I don't know…I may…" and at the crestfallen look on his baby brother's face, he couldn't keep going, "…of course you can stay with me. You know I always have room for you."

"Good, now that everyone knows where they are going, can we go? Because I've had a very long day and I want to get some sleep."

"Mark's right. You guys should head out. I'll see if I can move around my schedule tomorrow for some time off. That way we can spend some time together." Addie turned to Mark and Derek, "You should do the same. That way we can all spend some time together and catch up."

"Okay, we'll deal with that tomorrow. Right now, anyone who's leaving, let's go."

The caravan of people headed out of Addie's office with a chorus of 'goodnight Addie's.

After watching them leave, Addie headed back into her office. She layed down on her couch and pondered the evening's events. She certainly didn't feel as alone anymore. It had felt like there were people who really cared. Yeah, she still felt a little weird when John showed up, but he had responded to the Raptor's slip by setting up a diversion. That was a tactic he used to shift focus he knew was headed his way, which meant he thought she was going to say something to him about his new girlfriend. That would imply that he was expecting a pre-divorce reaction from her, which one could only assume meant that he didn't hate her and considered her part of his family still. Add that to the conversation that she had with Derek after dinner and she was starting to think everything was going to be a lot different. The end result of that conversation was that he wanted to start spending more "friend time" together, whatever that meant. But as she closed her eyes to rest before her next page, she thought that things were starting to look up and that the next few days were, to say the least, going to be exciting and fun.

* * *

AN: Okay, so if this got confusing or you want more back history on the AF boys and Beth's connection to them, let me know. I am full of insightful stories and other history, some of which will come out later on. Hoped you liked it and don't forget to review.


	5. Sleepovers Are All the Same

AN: I know its been a while, but I hope you like it. Let me know what you think.

* * *

**Sleepovers Are All The Same**

The caravan of people left the parking lot and ended up at the respective places of abode. Well, everyone except for Mark, who ended up at Derek's. The conversations that happened in the two Sheppard residences ended up in a different place from where they started.

Beth and Jas walked into Addie's house. They settled in to the guest rooms…separate guest rooms. Afterwards they headed to kitchen, that in all likeliness wasn't used a lot, but was still fully stocked. Beth grabbed a seat on one of the stools in the island and watched as Jas looked around for something to snack on.

As she watched the search, she started to think about the day. It had all seemed so simple. They would come and check on Addison, see if there was anything left between her and Der and lastly, she would fix whatever went wrong with Mark. Now everything was convoluted. She was still trying to work out what Mark was hiding from her and now John and Cam were here. That opened a whole other can of worms. The least they could have done was bring Taylor with them. Really, who travels during the holiday without their girlfriend? Her thoughts were interrupted, rather rudely in her opinion, with the dropping of a bowl of ice cream in front of her.

"Tell me what's going on in that head of yours," Jas said as he took a seat next to her.

"Where do I begin? Do I start with the fact that two of the trouble triplets showed up without my girl best friend or the fact Mark's got this big secret that he can't tell me, but Addie and Der know."

"How about the conversation you had with Mark? That way we go in order through the insanity that is our lives."

"Right. That was fun. I caught up with him and we talked. It somehow ended up being about me and what happened before I left. Apparently, t'was the season for infidelity because he thought I was calling about them and not me. So he knows about me and before he could tell me about why he shut me out, he got paged. Stupid timing. I mean, couldn't there be an emergency later?"

"Yes, Raptor, they timed it in order to ruin the conversation," he retorted with a raised eyebrow and she threw a dirty look at him, but then conceded the point.

"Okay, so maybe it just happened. Now I just have to get it out of him later. This should be interesting. You don't know what it is, do you?" she asked and at his head shake, she continued, "Well, it was worth a shot. After that I was bored. I called Addie figuring you'd still be with her. We were there for a while and then you and your group showed up. Which begs the question, how'd you end up going with Der to pick them up? I mean, you two in a car to the airport. I'd pay good money to see that."

"Hahaha. You're so very funny. We were together at the table when Der got a call. He was talking to Adds and she said that he should take me. I had no idea where I was going, but the look Addie gave me said I didn't have a choice. My God, that had to be the longest car ride in the history of car rides. Though, apparently the look I had on my face when we met the guys at the airport was pretty funny. It had all three of them laughing hysterically for a good ten minutes. I mean, we were getting looks from other travelers. It took me a while to stop looking between the two Sheppards. How did we miss this?"

"Hey, they aren't my immediate family. I have enough trouble keeping track of everyone, let alone connect them to each other. So how much does Der know about our connection to them?"

"Just what was said in the cafeteria, the brothers were talking and stuff. I kinda zoned out. Though that whole outing you thing is kinda shadey. I mean, the whole classified thing should mean something, right?"

"They weren't expecting to see me. And it's been a while, about a year and a half or so. And from what Taylor's been telling me, it hasn't been the same. She says that they're acting out in small ways and aren't as happy as they were before. And you know how they get. I wonder if there's more to the guys being here than the holidays. I mean it's weird that he didn't bring Taylor. Because when I asked her about coming to the Nomad party this year, she said she had plans. I hope she's okay."

"Well, call her later and check on her. But knowing Sheppard, he didn't think of it. Maybe checking with him first would be better. "

"Yea, that'll work. I have to talk to him and Cam anyway. I wonder when Addie's gonna get home. I want to talk to her. Maybe I can get info out of her without Der around, they were always easier targets alone," the Raptor commented.

"So once we talk to them, we'll plan out what to do next about the whole CO thing. If Addie finds out I'm on active duty and stuff, she'll freak. She had a hard enough time dealing with the whole protection agent thing."

"Jas, don't worry. They only know a little about me. We can connect you to them through me. She won't have to know."

At this another voice entered the conversation. "She won't have to know what?" Addie asked as she set her stuff down by the kitchen door. Both Jas and Beth let out a breathe as they realized she had just come in. They needed to pay more attention to their surroundings. This leave was turning into more of a mission with each passing minute. So much for relaxing.

Jas turned to his sister and replied, "Beth didn't want to tell you the reasoning for her sudden disappearing act. But I say that since it came up with Mark and Shep was here now, that you were gonna find out. It's probably better for you to hear it form her."

Addie looked between the two, trying to decide if they were lying or being serious. Eventually she decided that it didn't matter, because she would find out the answer to one of the questions that had been plaguing her since the caravan had left the hospital. She had wanted to ask Beth about the conversation she had with Mark, but felt kinda of weird about it with Miranda and Callie around. And when they had left, it just didn't feel like the right time. Then John had shown up, which was another unexpected but pleasant surprise. She was pretty good at being a big sister, so when she had married into Derek's family, she stepped into the role of another doting sister rather well. She had learned to love the youngest of the Sheppard clan as much as her baby brother. Which brought her to another question she had, how did the Raptor and her brother know Johnny? As odd as it seemed the two little brothers had never met. Sure, they talked about one in the other's presence, but their schedules never seemed to mix with time off at the same time. But John was in the military and as far as she knew, her brother was retired and it just didn't make sense. Another question to find the answer to, which seemed to be the running theme during her on-call shift, she had many questions with no answers. Maybe one of them would be answered now.

"I would love to hear it from you, Beth. I know it must have been bad, but you still took the time to set me straight."

"Yea, well that was what, six months after it all happened? I'm sorry about that by the way. I should have been around. I mean, I knew stuff had been off between you and Derek for a while. I guess I wasn't being a good friend. I should have checked in more often."

"Beth, I accept responsibility for what I did. I could have called you. No matter what or when, you always call back as soon as you can. I knew that. Not everything that a member of the Family does is because you weren't paying attention. Not everything is your fault. Now talk to me, why'd you leave?"

"Jack cheated on me with Spawn's girlfriend. So I left. I knew that the rest of the guys would take care of Mar, he was set. They let me go, knowing that it's what I needed then. I was still working, training some newbies and stuff. It was pretty good, but it wasn't the same and I missed my family."

"Wow, well that explains why you didn't call me first. You sent that email. It sounded so hurt when I read it."

"Yea…well, that took a while for me to get out. I didn't want to call and yell at you, so I wrote it out and then edited. I figured that way I could make sure I was dealing with just your situation and not mine too."

"How…why…why would you want to even try and help me fix things? I mean, how can you even deal with me after that?"

"That's the exact same thing Der and Mark said. I'll tell you the same thing I told them. The situations were different. I'm not saying what happened was right in anyway, but your reasons were better then his. Cheating in and of itself sucks, but you two were married and vowed to work through it. And once Mark realized that he wasn't helping, he did something about it. Mind you, that wasn't the brightest idea on his part, but it is Mark," she finished with a shrug. She sat quietly as she watched Addison process what she had just said. She turned her head from Addie next to her to look at Jas across the island from her. His eyes held a question, one she knew would lead to her explaining when she had talked to Derek about everything. While she waited for Addison, she thought back to that specific conversation.

_Derek walked into his trailer to hear the phone ring. He picked up the cordless unit as stared at the caller id. It was someone he didn't really want to talk to, one that would require him to deal with what had happened in New York and he wasn't ready yet. How had she found him? It was like she knew everything. It wasn't not fair. As the answering machine picked up, he heard a dial tone. Thinking she had given up, he was about to put the phone in the cradle when it rang. Giving up on avoiding her, he answered it: _

"_Hello, Beth. To what do I owe this phone call?"_

"_Hi, Der. You know, you're a hard man to track down. It took me forever to find out where you went and then even longer to find out your number, which isn't an easy thing to do from halfway across the world, let me tell you. I wanted to see how you were doing. I just found out about what happened."_

"_Well, I caught my wife in bed with my best friend, so really how'd you think I'd feel?!"_

"_Well, considering I felt like shit, I'm gonna go with that. And then there would be the hurt and the angry and a whole bunch of other emotions that I don't want to try and figure out. So, do I qualify as a worthy to join your little running club?"_

"_What…huh…what happened? Last I heard, you and Jack were doing great. Why would he cheat on you? I mean…well, you're the Raptor."_

"_That's what I said. But apparently I wasn't what he wanted...or is it who? But anyway, I left. I couldn't handle being there all the time. It was harder because he was with Spawn's girlfriend. I haven't been home in over six months and I just heard. I wanted to talk with you. I would be there in person, but I'm avoiding being stateside as much as possible. It's a lot easier than one would think. So really how are you?"_

"_I'm fine."_

"_Really, then you would be freaked out, insecure…"_

"…_neurotic and emotional. Yea, that about sums up the state of things. I don't understand. I mean, what would make her do that? How could she do that to me? I love her and she hurt me so much. It's not fair. And then you have Mark. He's supposed to watch my back, not stab me in it."_

"_They must have their reasons. I would never say that it was right, but you owe it to yourself and your marriage to try and work it out. I mean, it was a horrible thing she did, I'm not denying it. But I've seen you with her, you love her. It wasn't like you're marriage wasn't a bit rocky. You both let shit go by and didn't call each other on it."_

"_But she cheated…with Mark. I know I wasn't there, but really, that means she had to cheat?"_

"_I can't say for sure because you're the first person I called, but I think she was looking for a friend and maybe he was too. They were used to you being there and you weren't, so maybe they began to depend on each other. It seems to me that it was just a bad deal all around. I get the need to run too. I did it. It, however, is supposed to be to think and clear your head, not hide forever."_

"_I'm not sure that I'm ready for that yet. I think I may in a little while, but not yet. Are you going be to okay? I know how it feels, so if you need to talk. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but why didn't you give him a chance when you're asking me to?"_

"_First, we weren't married, so that changes the whole dynamic of situation. Second, I did ask him what his reason was. It didn't make me think we would be able to get passed this thing. It would have been better if he'd just told me, but yeah. So that would be that…hang on a second though…"_

_He heard some muffled noises that sounded a lot like a PA call and then she was back._

"_Sorry about that, people can't deal with stuff on their own for a few minutes. I have to go, but I want to hear from you at least every couple of weeks. You don't have to call, email works to, just keep in touch."_

"_Okay, I can do that. Thanks for calling and talking to me. I think it helped. I appreciated it."_

"_Don't worry about it. You're Family, I worry about you and it helped talking to you. Take care and I'll hear from you later."_

"_Bye, Beth."_

"_Laters."_

After that conversation, he did call and email. She had front seat to all the Meredith drama and the divorce. She didn't let him live in the delusion that everything he did was right. She did call him on the stuff he needed to be called on and was there when he started to realize that he still wanted Addie and started working out things with Mark. So here was the last person to hear that she was cheated on. Now to say that she got better with time is true, she had gotten over herself and the pain and was ready to be herself again. This meant she had to help Der get Addie back if that was what Addie wanted and had to find out what Mark was hiding. Oh, the joys of being the Raptor.

"Well, Mark did have his reasons for doing everything he did."

"So everyone keeps saying, but no one will tell me what, Addie. What is so difficult to say to me? It's not like I'm gonna hurt him or something."

"Don't be so sure you won't hurt him. It's something that he's had with him for a while. Don't push him on it either. That won't help him say it either."

"Damnit!! What is it? This is getting ridiculous. I mean, I could hurt him? Why would I want to do that? You know what? I don't want to know right now. I just wanna grab some sleep and deal with this tomorrow…well, later."

"Okay, that's fine. I think the past few hours have been big. I'll see you both in a few hours. Night Beth, night baby brother."

"Night, Adds" were heard from both as she headed off to bed. As soon as she was out of hearing range, he turned to his friend. "Are you going to be okay? I know going over all this twice has to be a bit much, and it couldn't have been fun. If you need me, I'm here."

"We haven't had to do that for a while. Since that thing from that place with the thing that went boom, but given the circumstances, I think it works for me. I mean, you are still my favorite mattress in the world."

"Hey, in our line of work, a simple hug can hold all the comfort in the world. And that way I don't have to get up when you start having nightmares again."

"Oh, because I'm the one who pulled that gun on the person who tried to wake them, right?"

This odd banter continued as they got ready for bed and eventually fell asleep. The Pirate laid there, holding the Raptor in the hopes of stemming the ghosts that were sure to come after her tonight. As he slowly followed his friend into sleep, he was reminded that in their line of work it wasn't the jobs that haunted you, it was the stuff that most people considered normal, like relationships and when they went bad. But if everything went well, things would get better after this trip.

A few blocks away, the atmosphere was completely different. After spending a few hours trading stories with his baby brother's best friend, Derek turned to John and stared at him intently. His brother always had a young look to him, but after being in the Air Force and doing whatever it was he was doing, it seemed to take a toll on him. He still had that youthful look in his eyes, but it seemed colored with a tinge a pain. The older brother in him wanted to find whatever it was that put that look there and beat the crap out of it, even if it meant taking on the entire Air Force to do it. He turned to look at Mark and found the same feeling reflected in the other man's eyes. No one messed with the youngest Sheppard without their expressed consent. Mark felt eyes on him and he turned to see Derek looking at him. They both nodded to each other slightly, agreeing that they would try to make things less tense and Mark knew exactly how.

"So, what's this about our baby Sheppard having a girlfriend?" he questioned.

"Huh?" was the unintelligent reply, which of course, was followed by laughter coming from Cam. Sheppard turned to glare at his friend, while trying to find a way out of answering, when Derek joined in.

"Yea, John, I know I've been out of the loop, but I'm pretty sure someone would have told me if they knew you had a girl. I mean, even Addie was surprised and she talks to Nancy more than any of us. So, out with it."

Sheppard took a moment to collect his thoughts, which apparently was too long for Cam who decided that he would share with the group for his friend.

"She's a civilian scientist, who works with us. She's awesome, cool, pretty, and can probably whip his butt in a fight. I mean, she is the Raptor's best friend too, so you know she's gotta be the best out there. It's like AJ once said, the guys aren't put through too bad of a test to be Nomad, but the qualifying tests for a female in the Nomad are strictly adhered to."

"Okay, well that was enlightening…wait…what? Stop talking about Taylor, Cam. I have enough issues without having to worry about you liking her. But he's right. She's pretty much everything you said Addie is to you, Der and you said _she_ is to you, Mark. I mean, she challenges me and puts up with the stupidity that seems to emanate from the Sheppard men. I can't imagine being without her. Which is why when the Raptor left..." he trailed off, not sure how much they knew about the end of her relationship.

Sensing his brother's hesitation, Derek nodded slightly to John to continue his thought. Figuring he'd deal with the fallout later, he continued:

"When she left, I started questioning everything about our relationship. I mean, if the people that had what I thought was a solid relationship failed, then where was ours going to end up? And since it was around the time you and Addie split, there was that as well. It was hard and Taylor was pulling away from me then too. I don't know, but then the Raptor talked me down and talked to Taylor too. And it got better."

"So you have a girlfriend who is a scientist and is really great based on the fact she is best friends with Beth. It's amazing the way six degrees of separation works," Mark interjected.

"Okay, now I have question for you, Mark. It's been over a year and I still have yet to know the name of the woman who you seem to think is too good for you. So tell me...now."

"See, that sounded more like a demand then a question, little Sheppard. It isn't really your concern, now is it?"

"I think it is. I mean, we're family and maybe there is a way I can help. I've been trying to get Cam here to ask out this doctor for a while and I think that I'm really actually pretty close to breaking him."

"Yea right, Shep. You just keep thinking that," Cam replied.

Mark started to shake his head. "If your brother hasn't been able to do it for years now, what makes you think you can succeed? I mean, he's my best friend, you're more like the annoying little brother I got when I became apart of the Sheppard clan."

"Ah, see, now that would be the key. I am the annoying little brother and as such, I have learned the fine art of persistence to the point of making people do stuff to make me stop," he finished with a mischievous raise of his eyebrows and a smirk to go with it.

"Oh, and I can recruit help too. I mean, Cam is useful in most endeavors, especially when it comes to things of this sort and if need be, I'll call in the last one of the Raptor's triplets."

"Yup, I am. I can be a pain in the ass like Shep. And you seem to be like the kind of people I would be friends with, so it would fun to do."

"Yea, that doesn't make me want to tell you at all."

"So then, Mark, it would be a good thing I am going to tell them."

"Der, don't you dare. You promised you wouldn't say anything."

"Correction: I said I wouldn't tell _her_. No one said anything about anyone else," he paused and turned his attention to the younger men. "He's in love with Beth," he deadpanned.

"Wait...the Raptor? Like our Raptor?"

"Huh?"

Their initial reactions were of shock, but as the information processed, it evolved into something akin to irritation. John was the first to voice his opinion on the subject.

"So, you're in love with our former CO and have been for a really long time? Nice."

"You know that now you're in trouble, because from what Shep has told me about you, the two of you would be perfect together. And if you would have said something, things would be perfect right now and not fucked up. "

"Thank you, Cam. I've been telling him this for years, but he thinks I am biased. You can't argue with someone who is, in all reasoning impartial to the Raptor, now can you, Mark?"

"Hey, this ganging up on me isn't nice. I already know I need to tell her, even if I don't want to. I mean, there are too many people who know about this. Some of whom, as you pointed out, like her better than me, so it's only time before she finds out."

"Excuse me, but I know for a fact that I haven't said anything for this long and John knows better to say anything too. So who else would tell?"

"Umm…Addie?! You know she knows and has a hard time with secrets."

"Yeah, well she promised she wouldn't."

"Hey, big brother, speaking of Addie, how goes the reacquainting? I mean, you guys seem to be friends again. I mean, all of you, so are things back to where they should be or are you taking your time too?"

"I will choose to ignore the sarcasm. I like being friends with Addie. That's perfectly fine with me. I don't want anything else. I know we both are too damaged right now, it isn't the time for it."

"So what you're saying is that you're about as scared of rejection as your best friend there. I get that," Cam paused at the look the older pair gave him, but continued on. "If you were paying attention to what Shep said earlier, I like one of our resident doctors. And considering that I'm a fighter pilot and I'm scared, it makes sense that you would be more cautious."

Both Der and Mark stared at Cam and John proceeded to shake his head at his friend. He made a good point considering how long it took him to ask Taylor out, but still a push every now and then was necessary and push he would. It was Mark and Beth's happiness that was at stake, they both deserved to be happy.

* * *

AN: Our resident flyboys are so cute, clueless, but cute.


End file.
